TY - UNPB

T1 - Immigration, amnesties and the shadow economy

AU - Bracco, Emanuele

AU - Onnis, Luisanna

PY - 2016/3

Y1 - 2016/3

N2 - This paper investigates the effects of immigration and immigration amnesties on the shadow economy. We find a robust and positive relationship between the presence of immigrants and the unobserved economic activity at the local level, but the implementation of a large immigration amnesty substantially weakens this link. Our analysis exploits newly compiled datasets of Italian immigration and shadow economy estimates for the years 1995-2006, comprising a panel of local-level aggregate statistical information, and a micro-level survey of representative households. We exploit the discontinuity created by the 2002 immigration amnesty, which increased the stock of migrants by almost 50%.

AB - This paper investigates the effects of immigration and immigration amnesties on the shadow economy. We find a robust and positive relationship between the presence of immigrants and the unobserved economic activity at the local level, but the implementation of a large immigration amnesty substantially weakens this link. Our analysis exploits newly compiled datasets of Italian immigration and shadow economy estimates for the years 1995-2006, comprising a panel of local-level aggregate statistical information, and a micro-level survey of representative households. We exploit the discontinuity created by the 2002 immigration amnesty, which increased the stock of migrants by almost 50%.

KW - Shadow Economy

KW - immigration

KW - Immigration policies

KW - Amnesties

M3 - Working paper

T3 - Economics Department working paper series

BT - Immigration, amnesties and the shadow economy

PB - The Department of Economics

CY - Lancaster

ER -